Content Optimisation 101: What You Need to Know

Did you know that Google now processes over 40,000 search queries every second on average? This totals out to a whopping 3.5 billion searches per day or 1.2 trillion per year!

This unfathomable number only continues to grow and grow.

And because of that, so do we — as digital marketers, social media managers, advertising employees. And so does Google, too. Google is continually optimising its own platform — a perfect example of why we should care about content optimisation, too.

For example, in 1999, it took Google about one month to crawl and index 50 million pages. By 2012, that same task took less than one minute.

As Google improves, we must improve as well.

Your webpage, or the webpage you operate for an employer, needs to get analysed and updated regularly. Without that reflection and optimisation, your content could get lost in the graveyard of Google's tenth search page.

Don't let your hard work, time, and money go to waste.

We show you how (and why) you need to care about your SEO efforts here!

What Is Content Optimisation?

It involves analysing metrics, making necessary changes, updating and improving. Optimisation is one significant way to make your webpage credible to Google, and therefore, the masses.

An optimised webpage appeals to Google's search engines. And the higher your name in the results, the more clicks you'll get. The more clicks you get, the better your credibility looks — earning you even more respect from the Google gods.

As you can see, it's a circular process. One equals another equals another. Without Google's support, or the searchers', your page won't make the impact you expected.

Your content strategy is essential. Without it, your content won't get the exposure it likely deserves.

There are many methods to optimising your page, from checking out the user experience, to the load time, to the quality of your actual content.

Are your links up-to-date, working, and applicable? Are your blog posts keyword-friendly, full of scannable headers and one-sentence transitions? Do you provide the necessary calls-to-action to encourage people to stay where they are (your website)?

So, what specific things is Google looking at when determining the value of your page? Let's look at that next.

Anchor texts — not over- or under-used, leading back to other high-quality pages

Geolocation — or whether your page shows up with local search queries

Of course, this list is not all-inclusive (and it's always evolving and changing).

It's also the sum of its parts. If you excel in one area but fail miserably in another, your efforts may be fruitless. Google wants you to do well in all these areas, not only a handful.

Now that you know what optimisation is, let's see how you can go about implementing it.

Methods of Optimisation: Tools to Get You There

You can get a brief idea on ways to start your optimisation process from the above list. Those are high areas of concentration. But how, exactly, can you make them better?

Enlist the help of tools, for one.

These will allow you to analyse your metrics — see what's working and what's not. They'll let you see your broken links, your failing pages, your successful pages (don't forget about those!). They show you what keywords are working and where in the world.

Tools are your friend. Here are some you need in your arsenal.

Ahrefs

This page allows you to "audit your website, explore competitors," and "research keywords and backlinks." Top SEO experts worldwide use this tool to not only analyse their pages but their competition's.

And why wouldn't you study the competition?

If there is someone in your field who is excelling, plug their URL into Ahrefs and review their metrics. See how this can help you improve.

Moz

We've mentioned Moz as the creator of Domain Authority, or DA. You can see where yours stands with this software. But there's more.

They have a variety of toolbars that allow you to gauge the specs of certain things — the number of do-follow or broken links. Visit websites from a Chrome browser and see their metrics. Check out your local presence with Moz Local.

There are both paid and free tools on this platform, so be sure to check out both.

SEMrush

They analyse social media and the quality of your content; they offer competitive intelligence. They explain problem areas and how to solve them. They audit your backlinks for quality and more.

That's Not All

The tools you utilise are up to you.

With the variety of free and paid platforms out there, you can pick and choose which ones work best for your site. Enlisting a variety of helpful software and tools will only make your content optimisation strategies more refined, and therefore, better.

Your SEO Is Your ROI

Content optimisation gets you what you want: credibility, clients, a #1 spot on Google's SERPs. Without it, your webpage is as good as dead.

Ask yourself — how long would you stay on a snail-pace, outdated, obviously amateur webpage? With the number of good sites out there, the answer is probably, "not long at all." Your page needs to make an impact quickly to stay ahead of the game.

Being up-to-date is one way to ensure you're in the loop. Check out these digital marketing trends of 2019 to make sure you're not getting left in the dust!